The alarm blared in Glenn's ear. The Korean man groaned and groped against the bedside table to hit the button. After fumbling and knocking down a bunch of crap off the table, he finally got a grip onto the annoying gadget. He smashed the off button and reached for the cord. He yanked it out of the outlit, not caring that doing so was dangerous. He threw down the cord and sat up in his bed. He hoped that Carson hasn't woken up, yet.
"Daddy?" a tiny voice asked from the doorway. So much for that.
"Yes, baby boy?" Glenn asked, pulling back the covers. He stepped from under them, his feet shuddering from the temperature of the floor. It was freezing in that house. Glenn knew he had forgotten to pay a bill. He would deal with that later.
Carson said, "Nana's here." Glenn nodded and let a sigh of relief fall from his lips. He was thankful that his mother was here to take his son home with her. He had work this afternoon, and his babysitter moved away a month ago. Dale was a nice man, but his sister die, and he needed to take care of her house. His nieces and nephews were reeling from the lost of both their parents in two months. He needed to be there for support.
Glenn picked up his five-year-old son and walked along the cold floor. He entered the living room and saw his mother sitting on the couch. She was flipping through his crappy cable and finally settled on a rerun of the Young and the Restless. Glenn sat beside her on the couch, placing his child on his lap.
"Morning, Ma," he says, kissing her cheek and going back to the TV.
"Good morning, son. What's your schedule?" she responds. She took Carson into her arms and kissed his pale cheek. The child look so much like Glenn. He barely had any of Shane's looks. His hair was black. His cheeks were rosy, and his skin was porcelain. He had a tiny nose and a pair of thin eyebrows. His eyes were brown with a ring of hazel surrounding them. Glass sat awkwardly on his nose, and Nana adjusted them. The boy was lanky and small. He was a mirror image of Glenn when he was little, except for the freckles and slightly big ears. He was a really cute kid.
"The usual. I have work, and I need to go the Sheriff's office," Glenn said. His mother's eyebrow raised.
"Why the Sheriff's office?" she asks. Glenn looks at his hands and twiddles his thumbs. He didn't want to tell his mother the real reason he wanted to go. She would be disappointed in him for trying to contact his ex. His mother tilted her head a little before she came to a realization.
"Glenn," she gasps, "why are you going to see him? What's the point?" Glenn shook his head and looked at his son on his mother's lap. The boy was drifting off to sleep. He had some evidence of pancake syrup on his shirt, so he knew he had eaten breakfast. Glenn reached out and ran his finger down his son's cheek. The tiny kids sniffled and shifted but didn't wake. He looked so peaceful when he was sleepy. Mommy's Little Angel, Glenn thought as he turned back to his mother.
"Carson has been asking for his dad. I can't just purge him out of his life," Glenn answered.
Nana huffed, "Son, I know, but what about what he did to you? Are you really going to let him do that to you again?" Glenn shook his head.
"Ma, I'm not getting back together with him," Glenn retorted. "I just want to let him know that he may see his son if he wants to."
Nana sighed, "Okay, but you better be careful. You can't take anymore. You have a son and a job." Glenn nodded. He glanced at the clock on the wall across from them. It was a little past eight in the morning, and he needed to get ready to go to the pizzeria. He lifted Carson out of his mother's arms and took him to the bathroom. He watched him as he took his bath and played with his rowboats. When his skin was pruney, Carson stepped out and was toweled dry by his dad. Nana took him to get dressed and got his day bag. Glenn took his shower, got dressed, and his mom and son on the cheeks before seeing them leave.
He grabbed his keys and left his house. The house he stayed in was small. It was his sister's before she moved and went to New York to marry her high school sweetheart. They still keep in touch, and she visits during the summer to see her nephew. She loves him but hates his father. She knew Shane was trouble from the beginning but didn't want to ruin Glenn's happiness. When she found out that Shane had left Glenn and his unborn child, she found him at the local bar with some woman and sucker punched him. Kick boxing comes in handy.
Glenn pulled up into the employee parking lot of his job, he immediately saw a cop groaned as he killed the engine. He got his delivery bag and walked across the lot to the building.
"Glenn! Right on time!" T-Dog shouted from the kitchen. The Asian man smiled and waved his hand before he walked to the back. He clocked in and went to get his apron. He was the cook/delivery boy. Today, he was just the cook. He worked alongside T-Dog, Andrea, and Amy. The pizza place is run by Andrea and Amy. When their father died, the girls took over. It was small business, but it was the best place in Atlanta. Their produce supplier is the Greene family. They live a ways outside of town. Glenn had grown up with Maggie and is like a son to Hershel. His wife and the mother of the girls has since passed away.
"Today looks busy. How many orders have we had since you opened this morning?" Glenn asked when he started kneading the dough. T-Dog whistled and pointed to the order board. Glenn looked up and was taken aback. The gigantic board was covered in Amy's legible writing. Two of them were from the Dixons.
Glenn asked, "Merle fresh out?"
"He's been out for two months," Amy said, carrying in a fresh batch of sauce. Glenn raised his eyebrow.
"I thought he was still in."
Amy shook her head, "He was in rehab for the remaining of his sentence. I went by him and Daryl's shop the other day. All the beer memorabilia was taken down." Glenn snorted.
"I guess he's getting serious now." The Dixon brothers lived out in the middle of nowhere. They ran a shop that sold stuff for wildlife sports, like fishing and hunting. They started after their Papa died of years of alcohol and drug abuse. Their Ma died a decade before him, except she had cancer. Merle had been in and out of the system for some time. Daryl had a few run-ins, but besides that, he was clean cut. Merle's recent stint was for being intoxicated in public and starting a fight outside the bar. Glenn had somewhat made friends with them when he started taking Carson there to get fishing supplies. Daryl was protective of them.
"Glenn," Andrea yelled from the front, "got any plans tonight?"
"Ah, yeah. Actually, I do." The blonde woman raised her eyebrow.
"Really, eh? What exactly is that?" she taunted.
Glenn breathed out, "I'm going to the Sheriff's Office." Everyone paused. T-Dog dropped his knife onto the counter, and Amy cocked an eyebrow. Andrea walked to the back after getting an order. She hopped up on the counter and gave him a look.
"Why are you going to see Shane?" T-Dog asked.
"Carson," Glenn simply answered. Everyone nodded. They understood Glenn's motive. That doesn't mean they like it.
"We respect that," Amy says, "but if he gets out of line, call me. I'll call Daryl, and he'll take care of it." Glenn snorted. He would be off from work by six tonight, so he might as well make the best of it.
Glenn sat in the parking lot of the station for a good minute. He didn't want to go in, but he had to. It was for Carson, not him. The boy was still with his grandma. He didn't know that his Mommy was going to talk to the Pa he never met. The pale man sighed heavily before getting out of the car. He walked quickly across the parking lot. He wanted to get this over with. He was in such a rush that when he got through the door, he ran directly into someone. They both hit the ground, groaning at the impact.
"I'm so sorry," Glenn said, helping the person he ran into up. He had to use both hands to get them up. Whoever they were was pretty heavy.
"It ain't nothing," the stranger responded. Glenn looked at him. The man had his hat on. His eyes were a light blue color. He had a scruffy beard and a long face. Beside him was a kid that looked twice Carson's age. The boy had brown hair and a matching pair of blue eyes. His skin was slightly pale, and his cheeks had a light blush to them. His cheeks were a little chubby, and he had a matching hat on.
"Um, I'm here looking for Shane Walsh. Is he here?" Glenn asked. The man gulped and nodded.
"He's down the hall," he answered. Glenn nodded and was ready to walk off. Instead, he turned around and gave the man a curious look.
"I'm sorry; I never caught your name," Glenn said, holding out his hand. "I'm Glenn Rhee."
"Nice to meet you, Glenn. I'm Rick, and this is son, Carl," the man said, shaking his hand. Carl smiled shyly and waved to the other man. Glenn returned the smile before turning back to the hall. He walked down it, passing a few doors. He turned a corner and spotted who he was looking for. Shane was still the same. His hair was still brown with that weird shaped head. He was still tall, and he looked healthy. He was talking to another officer. Glenn cleared his throat, and Shane looked at him.
Shane sucked his breath in and excused himself from his previous conversation. He walked up to Glenn and looked in the eye.
"Glenn."
"Shane."
"What are you doing here?" the older man asked.
Glenn responded, "It's about Carson. He wants to see you." Shane shrugged. Glenn rolled his eyes.
"Why didn't you bring him?" Shane asked.
Glenn huffed, "I wasn't sure I wanted to." Shane gave Glenn a strange look. The younger man was not making sense.
"So," Shane began, "you want me to see my child, but you weren't sure if you really wanted to. That makes no sense!" Glenn glared at him. He wanted to punch him sometimes. He always held himself back, though. Shane is Carson's dad.
"Look! Your son wants to see you; I don't!" Glenn hissed back. "If I had it my way, I wouldn't ever see you again. I can't do that." Shane threw up his hands. He surrendered.
"Okay. I'll come to see him soon," Shane responded. Glenn let out a sigh. He nodded and was getting ready to walk away. However, Shane caught him by the elbow. Glenn turned around and looked at the father of his child. Shane pulled him close and held him. Glenn and Shane looked each other in the eye. They hadn't been this close since they broke up.
Shane finally said, "How about we go out for lunch sometime?" Glenn's face fell. He looked sad and he looked like he was going to cry.
"Look, Shane, I appreciate the offer, but I can't," Glenn responded. "You broke my heart and left me. I'm just doing this for our son." Shane let him go, and he stepped back. He gave one look to the older man before turning around.
"My phone number and address is the same," Glenn called over his shoulder. "Call before you decide to visit." Glenn walked away, not looking back. He let a tear slip as he left the building. That was probably the hardest thing he has ever done.